460 FAMILY XV. — TINGIDID^E. 



416 (647). Corythuca GOSSYPll (Fabricius) , 1794, 78. 



Oblong to subquadrate. Body black; apical ventral segment brown- 

 ish-yellow; antenna?, legs and beak pale yellow; nervures of upper sur- 

 face white, the cells hyaline; a small submarginal spot near middle of 

 paranota, another on each tumid elevation of elytra, some small vague 

 ones on hood, a curved line on median carina and traces of cross-bars 

 on apical half of elytra, pale brown. Hood about as high as and shorter 

 than median carina, its globose portion wider than long, the cells small. 

 Median carina arched and with two rows of cells; lateral carina? much 

 lower, without cells. Elytra with cells of basal and apical portions rather 

 large, subequal in size, marginal spines longer than in floridana. Length, 

 2.8—3.2 mm. 



Cape Sable and Marco, Fla., Feb. 20— March 9. Taken by 

 sweeping Hibiscus and other plants along the margins of tide- 

 water bayous. Recorded from Biscayne Bay and Miami. Ranges 

 from New York to Florida, the West Indies and Central Amer- 

 ica. Occurs on cotton and other Malvacea ; also on castor beans. 



Group C. — Corythuca. 



In this group the crest of hood is never more than twice the 

 height of median carina, and the elytra usually have a well 

 marked dark cross-bar at base and another at or very near 

 apex (fig. 103). The group comprises 12 species and two vari- 

 eties from the eastern states. 



KEY TO EASTERN SPECIES OF GROUP C, CORYTHUCA. 



a. Edges of side margins of paranota and elytra almost devoid of 

 spinules ; hood triangular, concave, rather than constricted at 

 sides (fig. 102, c) . 417. mollicula. 



aa. Edges of paranota and elytra with distinct spines. 



b. Elytra with numerous dark spots, these often very faint, those on 

 apical half usually united to form two more or less evident cross- 

 bars; hood about twice as high as median carina. 



c. Smaller, length less than 3.5 mm. ; lateral carinae of pronotum low 



throughout, without areolae; cells of elytra small, milky-white, 

 only their centers hyaline. 418. marmorata.-"'"' 



cc. Larger, 4 or more mm.; lateral carinae curved, elevated, each with 

 two areolae; cells of elytra large, wholly hyaline. 



419. BACCHARIDIS. 



bb. Elytra with a dark cross-bar at base and usually another near 

 apex; hood usually less than twice as high as median carina. 



d. Elytra with only a dark basal cross-bar, the apical one wanting 



or represented by a mere trace. 

 e. Hood almost twice as high as median carina, the latter feebly 



B5 The Van Duzee (1917, 214) "Pennsylvania and District of Columbia" records 

 of C. dcccns Stal, should, according to Drake (1926, 379), be referred to C. marmorata 

 Uhl., as decens is a Central American species not known in the United States. 



